


Choke On Your Words

by Call_Me_Kiba



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Lance is a dick in this one, Platonic Relationships, Speech Disorders, Stuttering, but for this he is a dick, i love lance and all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 23:04:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16820248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Call_Me_Kiba/pseuds/Call_Me_Kiba
Summary: Sometimes, words just don't seem to work for Keith.I hope yall don't read my stuff for the summaries cause they're never good





	Choke On Your Words

**Author's Note:**

> Another idea I had I guess. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy jt!
> 
> And I'm sure I might have missed some tags, let me know if i did and i will fix it.

It occurred to him that he was broken when he had to move to a new school. Again.

Keith had a funny way of talking, just like his dad. Sometimes he couldn't get words out if he got too excited, if he was nervous he would repeat things. His dad was patient with him, telling him to slow down, take his time. Eventually, Keith got the words out.

When he moved to his new school, he learned that something else would make his words get stuck.

Fire.

He watched the house burn. His dad never came out.

After that, a new word just refused to leave his throat. Even words that started with the letter ‘f’ would refuse to leave him. There were times that Keith just would not speak, resorting to sign language if he got too frustrated. Over the years, the problem escalated. Earning him the title of “lone wolf” and “emo kid”.

Shiro had found out his problem by accident, during one of Keith's panic attacks. He couldn't tell Shiro what he needed, the letters and syllables forming a sticky mess in his throat. Shiro, thank the universe for Shiro, just kept talking to him. Calm sounds and words that had Keith come down from his panic, and he could finally talk.

That was years ago.

Now, on the Castleship, Keith found that he didn't need words as much. He learned which words agitated his stutter, and avoided them like the plague. His teammates, aside from Shiro, never paid him any mind when he refused to speak. The only one that seemed to have a problem was-

“Dude, I so beat you!”

Lance.

The training session ended abruptly when a fire-spewing gladiator had Keith cowering. Shiro made to pick him up, but he got to his feet before the black paladin could. Shiro could see the beginnings of panic rising in Keith's eyes. He had to admit the fire gladiator was new for them, this was the team's first time on this level, and this most likely just set them back on getting Keith over his fear of fire.

But Lance, who could take his teasing too far and always trying to get a rise out of “Mr. Stoic”, wouldn't back down. Still going on and on about how Keith froze.

“Lance, leave it alone.” Shiro was using his stern voice, but Lance wasn't listening.

“What? Mullet-head froze up! That means I beat him this time around!” Lance was grinning, and Shiro had to defuse the situation quickly before-

“Sh-sh-sh-shut up.” Keith was scowling at the blue paladin, but Shiro could tell he was getting tense. Shiro needed to get him somewhere quiet.  _ Now. _

“No way, not until you admit defeat!” Lance puffed his chest out, “The paladin of fire, afraid of his own element!”

Hunk groaned, clearly not grasping the situation. Pidge was staring at Keith, realization lighting up her features. Shiro glared at the Cuban boy.

“Lance.”

“Fffffffffffffff-” Keith took a deep breath, feeling his face heat up, his brain suddenly forgetting how to sign. “Fffffffffffffffffuck you! You made me-me-me-me trip! You incompetent twat!”

“Well, fffffffffffuck you too, you jackass! I-I-I-I-I didn't make you do shit!” Lance’s mocking tone made Keith freeze, and Shiro lost his temper.

“ _ LANCE! _ ” Shiro bellowed, making the others jump. Lance backed up a few steps. Shiro never yelled. He turned his attention back to Keith, only to be hit in the face with a boot. He recoiled, holding his bleeding nose and staring at Keith in shock. Whatever insult he had died on his tongue at how Keith was shaking, red in the face, tears threatening to spill.

“Fffffff-ffffffff-” Keith stomped his foot, like he was trying to kick something out of him. “Sc-sc-sc-sc-screw you, L-L-L-L-anccccce!” 

With that, Keith turned and bolted out of the training room. Shiro called after him. He turned to Lance, eyes stormy.

“Get his nose checked. We  _ will  _ be having a discussion.” was all he said before he sprinted after Keith.

Hunk and Pidge helped Lance to the infirmary, the blue paladin having not said a word since he got a boot to the face.

“At least he didn't throw his sword.” Hunk was trying to be gentle, but Pidge, she wasn't having any of Lance's bullshit.

“Why the fuck would you make fun of him like that?!” the green paladin wanted to chuck her shoe at him too.

“How was I supposed to know he would throw his damn boot at me! It's not my fault he froze up! Don't defend him, that hot-headed asshole-”

That's when Pidge smacked him upside his head. “Not that, you createn, his stutter!”

Lance looked at her like she had a second head.

“Don't you give me that look. You made fun of his stutter! It isn't funny!” when Lance paled, she continued. “Stuttering isn't fun, it sucks. And if you're going to make fun of Keith for it then you better make fun of me too!”

“You stutter too?” Hunk tilted his head at her.

“Yes, but I've had some intense speech therapy for it. I still stutter on occasion, like when I'm working on something and it doesn't go my way. Obviously, Keith never had any help with it!” she pinned the blue paladin with her icy stare, poor Coran flitting around while they argued. “Anything can trigger a stutter, Lance. You know damn well he just doesn't  _ freeze  _ like that!”

Lance let his shoulders drop as Coran inspected his nose. “I'm, I'm a douchebag, aren't I?” 

Pidge scoffed, “Yeah. A royal prick. I'm gonna go find him.”

Lance gave a weak nod. Pidge left the med bay, passing a very angry Shiro on her way out. She couldn't help the smirk. That blockhead needed knocked down a few pegs anyway.

\-------------------------

Pidge found the red paladin on the observation deck, staring out the window and into the vastness of space. He looked small, with the way he had his knees curled up to his chest. She cleared her throat to let him know she was there before she sat opposite of him, mimicking his posture.

“You ok?” she knew the answer, seeing how red and puffy his eyes were. He didn't even bother wiping away the tears, but he nodded anyway.

“You don't have to say anything. Lance was  _ way  _ out of line.” she checked her communicator as it lit up with pictures of a furious Shiro and a cowering Lance, coupled with panicked messages from Hunk. “Looks like Shiro is tearing him a new asshole.”

Keith got a look, frowning. Pidge waved a dismissive hand. “He needs knocked down a few pegs. Hunk told me he can be pompous, but seriously. He shouldn't have made fun of you like that.”

The red paladin hung his head, staring back out the window. Pidge figured he would refuse to talk, so she got his attention, smiling at the shock on his face.

_ “I got your back, Keith. I stutter too.”  _ she signed to him, _ “I still remember some stuff from my speech therapy. I can teach you and Shiro. I'm sure he would want to learn with you.” _

Keith hiccupped with renewed sobs.  _ “Thank you, Pidge.” _

_ “Anytime, my favorite hot head.” _


End file.
